Beatrice was on her way to the dining room for breakfast, walking more slowly than usual as her thoughts wandered to matters far beyond her age, issues of the empire, the safety of her own life, and the desire to apologize to someone.
More than anything, she kept wondering how she should behave once she reached the family dining room, and without realizing it, her steps slowed even further. Yet she knew she had to face it, whether sooner or later. And it would be better to do it now. She was only afraid of regretting something after it was already too late. That thought alone was enough to steel her heart and keep her moving forward.
When she arrived near the dining room, she could already hear voices people chatting while eating. Just as she had expected, it was her three older brothers of the Hall family.
However, the moment she revealed herself, there was only one person who truly became her reason for coming here in the first place. The third child of the Hall family, Gamma Hall. Someone she had once deeply hated, both as a noble and as a fellow human being.
She understood why her sudden appearance immediately created a tense atmosphere. She should have greeted them, should have said something to lighten the mood she had caused. But instead, she froze, standing silently at the doorway, confused and embarrassed.
W-what do I do? What am I supposed to do? Greet them? But wouldn't that be weird if I suddenly did it now? D-damn it! I didn't practice anything like this in etiquette class! They never taught us how to deal with awkward moments like this!
Maintaining her poker face, she decided to sit down on one of the chairs. And as if acting on its own, her body chose a seat right beside Gamma Hall, something she never did during family meals until now.
Naturally, everyone was shocked. Even Gamma stared at Beatrice in confusion, wondering what kind of mistake he had made to deserve such strange treatment.
Meanwhile, Beatrice was panicking even more.
What am I even doing here!? I knew this wasn't the right time. Why did I force myself like this!? Please! Charlotte, help me!
The longer they sat there, the quieter it became. And the quieter it grew, the noisier their thoughts turned. In the end, the two of them decided to finish their breakfast as quickly as possible and flee afterward.
After breakfast, as Beatrice was heading back to her room, she suddenly ran to a window and shouted, "Why is this so hard!?"
She let out a long breath, then looked out at the scenery around her to calm herself, murmuring, "All I wanted to do… was apologize."
Meanwhile, Gamma, who was out for his morning run in the flower garden, suddenly realized something.
"Huh? Wasn't that a perfect chance to reduce her hatred toward me?"
And so, both of them spent their morning wrapped in regret.
A few hours after breakfast, Gamma encountered Beatrice again when he visited the library to study. Seeing her already seated there with a pile of books made him hesitate, and he was about to leave, not wanting to disturb her. But before he could—
"Brother, why are you just peeking? Come over here."
"Oh… okay," Gamma replied, approaching and stopping in front of her.
"Why are you standing? Sit down. You came here to study, didn't you?"
"Oh, thanks." Gamma picked out a book he wanted to read and sat down.
The small library table forced him to sit directly across from Beatrice.
They read in silence after that.
But the awkwardness weighed heavily on Gamma's heart, making him uncomfortable.
He finally asked, "What's wrong with you today?"
"Be quiet. This is a library, not a place to chatter about pointless things," Beatrice replied.
"Oh… sorry."
Gamma returned to his book, trying to read calmly, though his heart was anything but.
A few minutes later, Beatrice spoke again, still keeping her eyes on her book.
"Brother… are you sure you really want to change?"
"Didn't you just say talking about unimportant things was forbidden?"
"This is important to me."
"Oh… then what do you mean by me changing?"
"I know your secret."
"Secret?"
"I just don't understand what you're thinking. If you change now, won't all the things you sacrificed go to waste? Are you really sure you want to give up?"
Gamma frowned, increasingly confused. "I honestly don't understand what you're talking about."
"Oh? Or are you planning to expand things into the capital? Well, at age twelve you'll definitely attend the academy. If that's the case, it is the right move to gain supporters from the shadows."
"I seriously have no idea what you're even saying."
Beatrice closed her book and looked straight at Gamma Hall, "It doesn't matter if you pretend. What's important is that I know the truth, and that I will support you."
Gamma could only stare back at her serious expression, maintaining his poker face.
Seriously, what is going on here? Am I the only one who doesn't know? Seriously!? Hey!? What secret are you talking about? That I'm from another world? And what sacrifices did I make? If it's not me, then does that mean the original Gamma Hall? What did he sacrifice? What exactly!? I feel like I missed something huge. Someone, please tell me what's happening here!
"Brother."
"What now?"
"I know you're deliberately closing yourself off. I know you understand the consequences of the path you've chosen. And I know you've already accepted them. But that doesn't justify my shameless behavior, hating you without even trying to understand you properly. That's why I wanted to tell you this earlier..." Beatrice took a breath, slowly lowered her head, and continued,"I'm sorry."
"No! No! There's nothing for you to apologize for! If anyone is at fault, it's definitely me! You didn't do anything wrong, okay?"
Beatrice smiled and stood up from her seat, "That's right. You don't need to answer it. Words are nothing but empty talk, after all. Someday, I'll return your kindness properly, without relying on hollow words."
"Huh? Oh… okay?"
Before leaving, she added, "I'm looking forward to your birthday tomorrow, my dear brother."
Gamma remained silent, not because he couldn't respond, but because he truly didn't understand anything.
Meanwhile, after leaving the library, Beatrice hopped about joyfully like a child, a smile she had been holding back finally blooming on her face.
I finally did it! I never knew there was something harder than learning how to dance. But with my intelligence, I succeeded! My message got across properly, right? He understood, right?
No. Gamma Hall did not understand a single thing. But something deep within him did.
Not long after, Beatrice realized that Charlotte had been watching from afar the entire time. She became unbearably embarrassed once she noticed.
Meanwhile, Charlotte smiled happily, having witnessed Beatrice's childish, adorable side, and so incapable of being honest with herself.